Hammers enter European Top 20

West Ham United have been ranked in the prestigious Deloitte Football Money League Top 20 for the first time in a decade
West Ham United have been strongly praised after the Club entered the prestigious Deloitte Football Money League Top 20.

Compiled by the multinational professional services firm Deloitte, the Football Money League ranks European clubs by their overall revenue, with the Hammers appearing in the Top 20 for the first time in a decade at No20.

With strong and decisive leadership from the Board leading to increased matchday and commercial revenue, a large rise in income by way of broadcast revenue and a move to a new 54,000-capacity stadium to look forward to, Deloitte predicts that West Ham ‘should…overtake some of the club’s continental competitors’ soon.

In the 2016 Football Money League report, Deloitte’s Sports Business Group editor Dan Jones lauded the Hammers for their ability to grow the Club’s income from both internal and external sources, while also taking the decision to make ‘major price cuts’ to Season Tickets for the 2016/17 season.

Jones explained that the Club’s overall revenue had risen 5% from £116.5m in 2013/14 to £122.4m last season, helped by a 9% (£1.9m) increase in commercial revenue and a rise in the Hammers’ share of Premier League broadcast distributions.

He described the partnership with Principal Partner Betway, which was agreed in February 2015, as a ‘significant mid-season coup and the ‘key driver of the rise in commercial revenue’.

Jones wrote: “West Ham’s re-emergence in the Money League Top 20 is mainly buoyed by the current levels of Premier League centralised broadcast distributions, but is also a positive reflection of the work being done within the club.

“As the Hammers prepare to bid farewell to Upton Park, a combination of the aforementioned commercial gains, as well as the expected increases in matchday and broadcast revenue as of 2016/17, should see the club consolidate its position in the Money League top 20 in the medium term, and even overtake some of the club’s continental competitors.”

Commenting on the report, West Ham United Vice-Chairman Karren Brady said: “We are pleased to see West Ham United being named in the top 20 in the Deloitte Football Money League as it is evidence that my Board’s strategy to stabilise and grow the club is continuing to bear fruit. 

“We are determined to turn West Ham into a global force, while still maintaining the same community values that make us so special.

“West Ham’s improved ranking is also a recognition of the expertise and dedication of our colleagues throughout the business, who work tirelessly on a daily basis to better the club.

“With the correct management, excellent player recruitment and a constantly improving commercial operation, our potential knows no limits.

“These are truly unprecedented times for West Ham United.”

West Ham are one of nine English clubs to appear in the Top 20, with Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Everton also included.

The remainder consists of three clubs from Spain, including top-two Real Madrid and Barcelona, four from Italy, three from Germany and one from France.

West Ham’s achievement is all the greater when it is considered that the Hammers were one of just four clubs in the Top 20 not to participate in European competition in 2014/15 – Manchester United, AC Milan and Newcastle United being the other three.